September 2014

Pervert who hid past facing jail: Paedophile breached licence by taking on new identity to woo partner

A serial sex offender who gave a fake name to his new girlfriend and claimed he had £8m in the bank faces up to five years in jail after he admitted breaching a court order.

Paedophile William James Paden (60) was due to be sentenced at Newtownards Crown Court yesterday but Judge Piers Grant adjourned the case until Wednesday so that further conditions to his lifelong sexual offences prevention order can be put in place.

He had previously heard that Paden, who was once the subject of a UK and Ireland-wide manhunt, had gone to ground when he was released from jail last November but that police investigations found him living with his a girlfriend and another woman who had twin daughters and a granddaughter who all shared the house in Kircubbin.

Prosecuting lawyer Sam Magee told the court how police enquiries revealed that Paden had given the woman a false name, failed to disclose his numerous convictions for sex offences and claimed he had £8m in a savings account, but that he could not access the cash.

He had been living at her address, which wasn’t the address he claimed to be living at when he registered on the sex offenders register, for around four months.

The court heard that despite being “livid and shocked at the deception”, the woman is “standing by” Paden.

Paden, from Ballyrainey Road in Ards, claimed he had not been living with her for as long as was alleged and denied making the claim about his savings.

But he did admit giving her a false name because “of the legacy which followed his real name”.

He did, however, later plead guilty to breaching the notification requirements of the sex offenders register on dates between November 18 last year and April 15 this year.

Previous courts have heard that Paden has been assessed as a “category two offender” who poses a “clear and identifiable” serious risk given his previous record, current attitude and “incapacity to change”.

In June 2010 police in Lancashire had to launch a UK and Ireland-wide appeal after Paden went on the run from an address in Blackpool. He was eventually arrested in Cavan, where he was jailed for four months after admitting the breach.

Paden has 19 sexual convictions dating back to 1974, including rape, indecent exposure, assault with intent to rape, indecent assault on a female child, using a telecommunications device to send abusive/indecent messages, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and breaching his sexual offences prevention order.

Making his plea in mitigation in this most recent case, defence lawyer Alan Blackburn said Paden had “already paid a price” by spending almost 150 days on remand and that the relationship “is perhaps his last chance in life of attaining a meaningful relationship”.

April 2014

‘Serial sexual predator’ back in custody

A “serial sexual predator”, once the subject of a UK and Ireland wide manhunt, has been remanded into custody.

William John Paden, 60 and from Ballyrainey Road in the town, appeared in the dock of Newtownards Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with failing to notify police of his home address on dates between 18 November last year and 15 April this year, breaching the terms of the sex offenders register notification requirements.

Objecting to his release, a detective from the PSNI Public Protection Unit revealed that Paden had been assessed as a “category two offender” and outlined how, with his previous record, current attitude and “incapacity to change,” there was “clear and identifiable evidence that he could cause serious harm through carrying out a contact sexual offence”.

He said police were objecting on the grounds there was a “high risk” of Paden re-offending given his “extensive history” of committing sex crimes and that he would not abide by any court imposed conditions given his multiple previous breaches of Sexual Offence Prevention Orders and his lifelong requirements to be on the sex offenders register.

The officer further revealed that in June 2010, police in Lancashire had to launch a UK and Ireland wide appeal after Paden went on the run from an address in Blackpool.

Following a week long manhunt with reported sightings in England, the Scottish Highlands and Northern Ireland, officers from An Garda Síochána eventually arrested Paden in Co Cavan where he was jailed for four months after admitting the breach.

Paden has 19 sexual convictions dating back to 1974, including indecent exposure, assault with intent to rape, indecent assault on a female child, using a telecommunications device to send abusive/indecent messages, rape, incite a child to engage in sexual activity and recently breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Solicitor Hugh Ross submitted that Paden could be released on bail with “robust conditions,” telling the court that his wrongdoing was not telling police that he had begun a new relationship with “a lady in her 40’s” whom he had been staying with.

That lady, he told the court, is standing by Paden “not withstanding the fact that she is now armed with the knowledge” of his previous offending, adding that for the last six months “he had been happy for the first time in his life”.

Refusing the bail application, however, District Judge Mark Hamill said Paden was a “serious, serial sexual predator,” had an “appalling record” and had repeatedly refused to comply with bail conditions and other court orders.

Ordering Paden to appear again via video-link on 22 May, the judge said immaterial of what approach the Public Prosecution Service took to the case, “I will refuse jurisdiction” and instead have him dealt with in the Crown Court where he would face a maximum of five years in jail if convicted.

July 2010

‘On run’ sex offender William Paden jailed in Cavan

A sex offender arrested in County Cavan two weeks ago after going missing in Lancashire has been jailed for four months in the Irish Republic.

William John Paden, 56, was sentenced at Cavan District Court for breaching the Republic’s sex offenders legislation.

He was arrested in Ballyhaise on 30 June after going missing from a registered address in Blackpool.

A defence solicitor said he had left there after “locals discovered where he was and things got a bit hot”.

He went to visit relations in Northern Ireland and then went to the Republic.

Paden has 19 sexual convictions dating back to 1974, including rape, indecent assault on a child and assault with intent to rape.

On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to breaching the Sex Offenders Act 2001 by failing to notify Irish police of his name, address and date of birth contrary to Section 12 of the act.

Judge David Anderson was told by Garda Inspector Seamus Boyle that Paden was wanted “in a foreign jurisdiction” in relation to a National Offender Management offence and UK authorities had prepared extradition papers for him.

Defence solicitor Gareth Fortune said “he will be extradited on finality of his sentence (in the Republic) to be dealt with by the English authorities”.

The judge backdated the prison sentence to 30 June.